Hebrews 3 “Hard Hearts, Faithful Friends, Perfect Priest”

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There was once a congregation of God's people that saw the power and the glory of God at work among them marvelously.

They sang praises to His greatness.

They regularly gathered together and heard His law read to them.

They were led by men called by God.

They talked often of God's truth.

They received God's provision enough to make budget 40 years in a row.

It was like manna falling from heaven or something.

And yet, neither the leader nor most of the people made it where God was taking them.

They started out fast with God, excited.

But they didn't finish well.

Sometimes churches and Christians start out with a bang, like a firecracker, looking and sounding so good,

but only to fade just as impressively and quickly.

And I think this is a particular concern in a culture where our attention spans are shrinking.

Flashy experiences are often needed to keep our commitment to anything or anyone.

We get bored, don't we?

Dissatisfied very quickly.

I bet every one of us has at home some project that we've started.

Maybe we got really close, but we never quite finished.

The writer to the Hebrews, who has been pointing us to the greatness of Jesus over and over,

he wants to ensure the churches that he's writing to endure, persevere, finish as well as they started with God,

even when life is tough.

And so, in chapter 3, he's going to do two things.

He's going to compare Jesus and Moses, and then he's going to give God's people a warning from their history,

the history of God's people in the Exodus generation that I just recounted for us a little bit.

Warning, he says.

This could happen to you, to y'all, to us.

Listen as I read to what he's warning against.

Listen for that.

And to how he tells us to guard against it.

Hebrews chapter 3.

Hebrews 3 · chapter mention

The whole thing.

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling,

consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

who was faithful to him who appointed him,

just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house.

For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses,

as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

Now, Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant,

to testify to the things that were to be spoken later,

but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son,

and we are his house,

if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting and our hope.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion on the day of testing in the wilderness,

where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for 40 years.

Therefore, I was provoked with that generation and said,

they always go astray in their heart.

They have not known my ways.

As I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.

Take care, brothers,

lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart,

leading you to fall away from the living God.

But exhort one another every day,

as long as it is called today,

that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

For we share in Christ,

if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

As it is said,

today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

For who were those who heard and yet rebelled?

Was it not all those who left Egypt, led by Moses?

And with whom was it that he was provoked for 40 years?

Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest,

but to those who were disobedient?

So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Thus far, God's holy word.

Let's pray.

God, these are challenging words for our hearts.

They are your words.

And so, by Holy Spirit, as you say here,

would you speak to us?

Would you give us ears to hear?

Would you soften our hearts?

In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen.

It might be a compliment

to be told that you have rock-hard abs or biceps.

I wouldn't know, but I think it would be.

But you don't want to hear the doctor say,

you have a hard heart.

That is a problem physically.

And as this passage says, spiritually.

The preacher here is not telling the people

that they have hard hearts,

but he is warning them about the danger of that diagnosis,

showing them that it's a problem

that no one plans to have.

I'm going to have a hard heart.

No.

Yet it still happens.

So beware.

That spiritual sickness, hard heartedness,

is mentioned several times in this passage.

So I want us to see what that dangerous condition involves,

and then where it leads,

and how to prevent it.

First, we'll start with what a hard-hearted diagnosis involves.

It starts with the hardening being against God.

Notice the writer to the Hebrews turns to Psalm 95.

That's where this big quotation is from,

starting at verse 7.

That's a psalm that these Jewish Christians he's writing to

would have been very familiar with.

They would have heard it nearly every week of their lives

as they came to Sabbath worship.

We began our service with it this morning.

You know, come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.

It's a reminder of the God that we worship.

And then there's a command.

Today, over and over.

Today, if you hear his voice,

don't harden your hearts.

Don't put him to the test.

Our hearts go astray

when they get distant from God's ways.

Verse 10.

We start to listen to man's voices

telling us where life is found

rather than God's.

Like the Israelites that we read about earlier, right?

Quarreling about the water.

Grumbling about their leaders.

We're not even sure anymore that God is really among us.

Is he really here?

Can we really trust him?

We so need that regular reminder, don't we?

See, I marched out of Egypt with God,

but now I'm thinking Egypt might have been better.

Amazing, right?

These people watched the plagues.

They survived the Passover.

They walked through the Red Sea on dry ground.

And they're wondering now about whether God or Pharaoh

would be a better provider for them.

Wow.

Y'all, that's the deceitfulness of sin.

That ought to get our attention.

Verse 13 says,

our hearts can be hardened

by the deceitfulness of sin.

They can become evil, unbelieving hearts.

Not because we set out to be evil

and do lots of bad stuff.

But because sin deceives us.

See, sin tells us what?

Life is to be found somewhere else apart from God.

Maybe not even far away.

Maybe just right here to the side a little bit.

And you get used to going to that place for life.

It becomes normal and natural

and your heart gets hard toward God.

It doesn't look to Him for life anymore.

Let me just give you some examples

of the deceitfulness of sin.

There are thousands.

Just imagine you're really wanting to be friends

with this girl at youth group.

But she keeps making fun of this other girl.

Talking bad about her and so,

but you really want to be her friend,

so you laugh along.

Sometimes you even chime in

with a little slight at the other girl.

So that the cool girl likes being with you.

And you're thinking,

you know, no one's hurt.

What's happened?

I'm just getting a friend.

But sin deceived you.

You're actually destroying

the possibility of safe friendship, aren't you?

Of real gospel community.

You'll never feel safe with that cool girl

if you're laughing at others.

Because how do you know

that they're not laughing at you

when you're not there?

Frustrated with the intimacy

in your own marriage?

You turn to digital images

on your screens.

You tell yourself at first things like,

I deserve this.

I'm not hurting anyone.

In fact, I'm avoiding arguments

with my spouse.

But sin deceived you.

You're actually misusing

another image bearer of God.

And you're avoiding the opportunity

for repentance

and forgiveness

and true love

in your marriage.

You're taking a cheap substitute

that won't actually love you.

You won't experience that.

And soon you find

you're both drifting

from God

and from one another.

Maybe you're increasingly angry

with other Christians

for how they're responding

to current events.

Just hypothetically.

You're so frustrated

with how they're not loving people.

They're not speaking out,

but they're silently compromising.

You're so angry

that instead of growing together

and leaning into that,

you disconnect

from church entirely.

I don't need them.

I've got Jesus.

And they don't need me.

But sin deceived you.

You're actually abandoning

brothers and sisters in need

in your own church family

while thinking you're helping

those who are in need

because you're not there with them

where Jesus puts you.

and you're setting yourself up

in your own mind

as the only one

who knows what's best.

You're isolating.

That's not what Jesus

made you for.

See, sin deceives us.

It promises us life

apart from God,

apart from His ways.

I know better about my life, right?

Who could know

as well as I do

what I need?

And we start to ignore

the conviction of sin

the preaching of God's word,

the brother or sister

who wants to challenge us

because our heart

has grown hard.

I mean, maybe we're not

the worst guy in the world.

We feel pretty decent

about ourselves,

but that's the problem.

We've gotten satisfied

with life on our own.

Sin.

Malcolm Muggeridge wrote about

this deceptive settling

in his autobiography.

The saddest thing to me

in looking back on my life

has been to recall

not so much the wickedness

I have been involved in,

the cruel and selfish

and egotistic things

I have done,

the hurt I have inflicted

on those I loved,

although all that's painful enough.

What hurts most

is the preference

I have so often shown

for what is inferior,

tenth rate,

when the first rate

was there for the having.

Like a man who goes shopping

and comes back

with cardboard shoes

when he might have had leather,

with dried fruit

when he might have had fresh,

with processed cheese

when he might have had cheddar,

with paper flowers

when the primroses were out.

God was there.

He said,

life,

joy,

rest,

peace,

hope,

love,

but I thought

I'd found a better way.

The end of that road

is getting hardened

in unbelief.

It's mentioned twice here

the evil,

unbelieving heart

there in verse 12.

That means it doesn't

keep its singular focus

on trust and hope

in God.

And then in verse 19,

at the end of the day,

the hard heart just

doesn't believe

in God

anymore.

A settled coldness

and distance

from God,

from His Word,

from His people,

even when you're around them

quite often.

You're just impervious

to them.

You're shut off

from them.

You've slowly rubbed

a callous on your heart,

even in church,

and you've kept rubbing it

so you no longer feel

conviction.

You no longer feel

a longing.

You no longer feel

anything.

Listen,

it's possible

to hear and see God

and still rebel

in unbelief.

To sit among His people

and still reject

His lordship

in your life,

His love

for you

to feel nothing.

You started so well

with God,

but then sin deceived

and your heart

began to harden.

It's a serious diagnosis.

How serious

is spiritual hard-heartedness?

What's the prognosis

for you

if it takes you down?

Take care.

Watch out.

Lest there be

in any of you

an evil,

unbelieving heart

leading you

to fall away

from the living God.

No one wants that.

Away from the God

who made you

to be with Him.

Certainly,

that wouldn't be me,

right?

Look where I am.

I'm sitting in church.

I've been in church

my whole life.

I know more theology

than my pastor.

I've led

the fundraising campaign.

We got that golden calf

up in no time.

Listen to the pastor's heart

concerned for his people.

Who was it

that finished so poorly

back then

in the wilderness?

Stuck in the wilderness

40 years,

buried there.

It was a whole generation,

he says,

of people

who followed

Moses' footsteps

out of Egypt

and across the Red Sea.

They started

so fast

with God,

it seemed.

No one had ever seen

the greatness of God

the way they had.

They are the ones

who sinned,

died in the wilderness,

were disobedient.

They didn't really believe.

They showed it

when God said,

here,

come in

and take this land

that I'm giving you.

And they said,

yeah,

but there's giants.

How?

How?

You know,

Egypt might have been

better than that.

We know better than Yahweh

what is best for us.

Unbelief.

Powerful,

painful

unbelief.

The prognosis

for the hard heart

is it's unable

to enter

God's rest.

Makes sense,

doesn't it?

If your heart

is hardened against God

looking for life

somewhere else

and anything else

that you can find,

you can't enjoy

the rest

that God offers

only in Himself.

There's no rest

to relieve you.

No heaven

to look forward to.

No promises

to count on.

No love

to revel in.

No peace

to calm you.

No God

to hold you.

Now that's dark,

right?

I mean,

not a lot of

cheer and chuckles

from me today.

Neither the pastor

to the Hebrews

nor this pastor

wants to talk

about that

potential diagnosis

and prognosis

without telling you

how to avoid it.

What's the prescription?

Are you ready for that?

What do I do?

I don't want to end up there.

What's the prescription

to prevent

hard heartedness?

Notice,

good news,

he's writing to those

who haven't hardened yet,

at least not beyond

help or hope.

He's warning them

and he's encouraging them

as a community.

If you're hearing me,

it's not too late.

To keep your heart soft,

first pill

to take daily.

Speak

to one another's hearts.

I want to look more closely

at verses

12 and 13.

take care,

brothers and sisters,

lest there be in any of you

an evil,

unbelieving heart

leading you to fall away

from the living God.

But,

instead of falling away

from the living God

with an unbelieving heart,

what?

What?

But,

exhort one another

every day,

as long as it is called today,

that none of you

may be hardened

by the deceitfulness

of sin.

You notice there

how many hearts

you're supposed to be

watching carefully,

taking care,

that you don't,

how many of them?

Is it just one?

Is it just your own

that you're responsible for?

It's not,

is it?

It's all your brothers

and sisters.

Take care,

lest in any of you

so that none of you,

you need to be watching out

for all of them.

It is your job

to make sure

the deceitfulness

of sin

does not harden you

or anyone else

in your family.

Oh,

pastor,

I just wanted to take

my pill at home

every day

and just carry on

with my life.

Nope,

not an option.

Exhort

one another

every day.

It's that beautiful word

parakaleo

translated,

you'll know it as

counsel

or encourage,

exhort,

help,

comfort.

Literally,

it means

call

alongside.

It means

come beside

a brother

or sister

and yell at them

in love.

like a heart

massage.

Soften

their hearts

to God.

Don't let sin

deceive them

and harden them.

See,

it's a lot

more than just

hang out

with one another.

You know,

play pickleball,

read a book,

shoot the breeze,

tell jokes.

No,

speak to one

another's hearts.

What's going on there?

In context,

this is saying

the practical,

personal remedy

that God gives

against the deceitfulness

of sin

in your heart

is brothers

and sisters

who make the truth

of Jesus

seem more beautiful

than the lies

of sin.

That's God's remedy.

That's the pill.

Brothers and sisters

who make the truth

of Jesus

seem more beautiful

to you

than the lies

of sin.

Sometimes that means

calling you out

on the lies of sin

they see you believing.

Sometimes that will mean

sharing their own struggles

and praying together.

Sometimes that will mean

coming alongside you

and yelling

the wonder

and the worth

of Jesus

so loudly

in your ear

that it drowns out

anything else

that you may be

listening to.

I have so many

of those in my life.

I hope you do.

So many.

I'm so thankful.

I think that God knew

that I was going

to need so much help

to see the deceitfulness

of my sin

to see the worth

of my Savior.

He's given me

so many

many of you.

I'll come back to that.

Speak to

one

another.

Let me just point out

briefly

no matter how

spiritual you are

this is

part of the Bible

that you can't obey.

on your own

by yourself.

Even if you and God

are having really

great quiet times

even if you have

already read

the entire Bible

reading plan for the year

and prayed all of the

prayers in the booklets

you can't do this.

You actually have to have

a grace group

whether you call it

that or not.

You need other people.

Listen,

you are in

rebellion against God

disobedience

to His Word

if you aren't

actively seeking

people to speak

into your heart

while you speak

into theirs.

It's that serious.

How often

do we need to take

this pill?

Every day

as long as it is

called today

until Jesus returns

you never stop

needing this.

This is not some

legalistic 24 hour

period where you

must speak

to one another

or else.

Listen,

if you miss

the preventive

medication once

you're probably

okay that night

but never stop

taking it regularly,

right?

That's the warning.

Hardness

will begin

to develop.

You know

one of the things

that means?

It means

that

I am not

able to do

this for you.

A sermon

on Sunday

and a quirky

video on Wednesday

that you skip

over to remind

you about the

worth of Jesus

that's not enough.

You need to

find your people.

Find a grace

group.

Ask someone

to yell

alongside you.

Offer to yell

alongside them.

Blame it on me

if you need to

if it's awkward.

Blame it on

Hebrews.

But do it.

I want to

urge you to do it

today.

This afternoon.

Today

in the words

of Hebrews

reach out

to at least

one person.

Can I just

challenge each

of you to do

that?

Reach out

to one person

or one group

at a minimum

and just say

you do this

for me.

Thank you.

Please don't

stop.

or I so

need you

to do this

for me.

Would you

please

would you

please do

this for me?

Make a note

somewhere right

now so that you

do it this

afternoon that you

reach out and

say brother

sister let me be

your shelter.

Let me shine

light into your

life.

Some of you are

texting right now

that's not what

I said.

God sees you

this afternoon

do that.

That's a big

part of the

prescription here.

Speak to one

another.

But it's not

just to be

talkative.

Remember it's

to our hearts.

So what is it

that we're saying?

What are we

speaking about?

We speak to

one another

so that we

listen ultimately

to God's

voice.

That's the one

we need to

hear right?

Twice the

preacher quotes

that line from

Psalm 95.

He's really

focused on that

first part.

Today if you

hear his

voice do

not harden

your hearts.

Stay soft.

Stay warm

to what God

says.

Even if it

challenges you

especially if it

challenges you

keep sitting

under God's

word.

You don't know

what to say

to your friend

when you reach

out, when you

speak to them

one day.

Share something

you read in

your Bible

reading.

Even copy

and paste it.

Anything that

helped you see

your need for

Jesus and his

graciously meeting

your need.

Just share it

with them.

Look at verse

seven.

As the Holy

Spirit says,

interesting way to

quote scripture

isn't it?

As the Holy

Spirit says,

God speaks to

us in his

word.

Doesn't he?

Notice just

for a minute

that this

really neat

dynamic that's

going on.

This is God

the Holy Spirit

speaking in

Psalm 95

to speak to

God's people

then about

something that

happened several

hundred years

before that they

need to heed the

warning of and

learn from.

You see what's

happening there?

Learn from them

the Holy Spirit

says.

And then the

writer to the

Hebrews takes

Psalm 95

several hundred

years after that

and says,

look back to

that.

God's still

speaking.

Listen again

to him.

And here we

are now gathered

several hundred

years later

looking back to

the writer writing

to the Hebrews

and saying,

listen to what

he says.

God is speaking.

The Holy Spirit

speaks to you

today and says,

don't miss this.

If you hear his

voice, don't

harden your

heart.

God still speaks

by his spirit

through his word.

You can count

on it.

Today, today,

if you hear his

voice, listen up.

Don't turn away.

Keep listening.

So that ultimately

you hold fast

to Jesus.

Did you remember

that's where this

whole passage

started?

Some of you were

wondering if I was

going to make it

back to that.

Verse 1.

Consider

Jesus.

Fix

your thoughts

on Jesus

is what it

means.

He is the one

that you most

need to help

you endure.

See,

the Israelites

who wandered

in the wilderness,

who failed to

finish well,

they had a good

leader,

didn't they?

Moses was

indeed the epitome

of greatness

for the Jews

and sure enough,

he was faithful

to God.

This is not

ripping on Moses

here.

God sent Moses

to deliver his

message to his

people and then

to deliver his

people from

bondage.

He represented

God to the

people and then

he represented

the people to

God when he

pled for God

to show mercy

on them.

What an

amazing,

incredible guy.

But just like

he did with

the angels

in chapter 2,

the writer here

is giving a

warning saying,

if the people

following Moses

fell away

and missed out

on something

good,

how much

more will

people following

Jesus who

fall away from

him miss out

on something

good?

See,

while Moses

is a servant,

he says,

of God,

Jesus is the

son of God.

Moses,

you're outranked.

While Moses

is a part of

God's house,

Jesus builds

the house.

Moses,

you're outdone.

Jesus is the

apostle of our

confession,

the one we

affirm as sent

by God from

heaven to dwell

with us.

The prophet

like Moses,

but even greater

than Moses.

Jesus is also

the high priest

of our

confession,

the one who

represents us

before God

by making the

ultimate sacrifice,

right?

So that no one

in him,

no one following

Jesus,

no one in his

family ever

fails to make

it home.

So glory to

Jesus,

right?

Glory and glory

and more glory

because he

brings us

home.

See,

we're really

close to

Jesus.

We are his

brothers and

sisters,

it says.

Isn't that

beautiful?

That reminder

to you right

as he's

warning you.

We are in

the second

analogy,

we are God's

house,

which is why

every single

brick,

every one of

us is needed.

We must cling

to one another,

let no one fall

away because God

lives here.

Wow,

what an amazing

thing we're a

part of.

And then he

says,

we share in

Christ as

long as we

hold fast our

confidence to

the end.

Is that what

he's saying?

As long as our

grip is strong

enough, is that

what will do

it?

No.

He talks about

our confidence

in Jesus.

Our boasting

and our hope

is Jesus.

He indeed

enables us to

endure and

to finish

what we

started with

him.

Isn't this

amazing that

we're not

actually on

our own?

We have a

share, a

stake in

Christ, the

enduring one.

We're in

him.

I want to

show you as

we close a

clip from

the 1992

Olympics.

I suspect

many of you

will have

seen it.

One of the

great moments

in Olympic

history,

British

sprinter

Derek

Redmond

was really

fast.

He ran

away with

his first

heat in

the 400

meters.

This you're

about to

see is his

semifinal heat

and I'm

going to

commentate for

us so I

can make some

points along

the way.

It's a little

long.

There's

Redmond in

lane five

wearing blue.

You'll be able

to tell who he

is in just a

minute.

He separates

from the pack

but he starts

really fast.

He's looking

good.

He's there

in the middle

looking strong

really, really

fast.

A little

faster than

me.

And then

oh no.

Oh.

He tears

his hamstring

and he's

down as the

other racers

kind of keep

going and he

just falls on

the track and

there they are

headed to the

finish line but

he is all

the way back

and then he

hobbles up

and he starts

limping his

way around

the track.

Look at his

face.

Like the

agony that he's

feeling.

You get a

close up here in

just a second.

He can barely

keep moving.

All of a sudden

somebody comes

running down out

of the stands.

Anybody know

who that is?

That's his

dad.

His dad gets

by security,

right?

Nobody's stopping

him.

And he

finds his

son, puts

his arm

around him.

Redmond

later, you

can keep

watching, just

listen to me.

Redmond says

what his dad

was saying to

him here.

He said the

first thing he

said was,

you're a

champion.

You've got

nothing to

prove.

You're a

champion.

He was

telling him

he didn't

have to keep

going.

He said,

I want to

get to the

finish line.

His dad

said, hey,

okay.

We started

this together.

We're going

to finish

this together.

He said,

that's what he

kept whispering

in his ear.

We're going

to finish

this together.

You will

notice that

his dad

has no

interest,

by the way,

in anybody

else helping.

It's one

of my

favorite parts.

He keeps

brushing up.

Dude, we

got this.

Leave us

alone.

Get off

the camera.

All the

way.

All the

way to the

finish line.

You can't

hear this

because I

turned the

audio off,

but as

they cross

the finish

line here,

there is

a huge

roar from

the crowd

like nobody

else who

won any

race.

Listen,

God has

challenged you

and warned

you pretty

hard today.

I feel

that.

The beauty

of the

word of

God,

of the

gospel of

Jesus,

is that

God is

not standing

far away

doing that.

When you've

fallen,

when you're

despairing,

when you're

not sure

that you

can finish

the race

and hold

on,

God has

come down

out of

heaven,

out of

the stands,

if you will,

and he's

put his

arm around

you and

said,

we started

this together.

I made

you.

I chose

you.

I went

to the

cross for

you.

I rose

from the

grave for

you.

I'm with

you now,

and I'm

coming back

for you.

We started

this together.

We're going

to finish

this together.

And that

roar from

the crowd,

I think

that's the

brothers and

sisters who

are yelling

alongside you.

They're yet

one more

reminder to

lean on

Jesus,

to hold

fast to

him,

the

faithful

savior.

They're

yelling so

that Jesus

can whisper

in your

ear right

now.

With his

arm around

you,

he's saying,

you don't

have to

figure it

all out.

You don't

have to

be the

strong one.

You don't

have to

have the

strength

to make

it to

the finish

line.

You just

trust me.

Lean on

me.

I'll bring

you home.

We're going

to finish

this together.

Today,

if you

hear his

voice,

don't

harden your

hearts.

Jesus,

help us

hear you.

Even if

you're

whispering to

us,

especially if

you're

shouting in

our pain,

help us to

know there's

someone holding

us,

to whom we

can hold

fast in our

weakness,

cast our

broken selves

on,

and be

safe,

and be

helped,

and be

strengthened

for however

many days

you have

left for

us here,

and for

an eternity

that we

look forward

to with

you.

Thank you

for being

our older

brother,

for coming

to us,

and making

us a part

of your

family.

Soften

our hearts.

Holy Spirit,

we need

you to

work.

Our

stony

hearts are

slow to

relent,

but Jesus,

you're so

beautiful,

you're so

wonderful,

you're so

good,

you can

make them

soft,

that we

might trust

you and

walk with

you even

today.

Do that

work right

now.

Keep working

on us and

don't let us

forget.

We ask in

your name.

Amen.

For more

information,

visit us

online at

southwood.org.